Labour commitments on skills and industry welcomed

Labour commitments on skills and industry welcomed

16 February 2015

Welcoming Labour’s commitment to an industrial strategy today (Monday 16 February), Britain’s largest union, Unite warned that the Tory-led government was creating a low waged, low skilled economy as its ‘march of the makers’ fails to materialise.

Unite assistant general secretary Tony Burke said: “George Osborne’s much heralded ‘march of the makers’ has failed to materialise while family finances have been consigned to a path to poverty because of insecure work and plummeting wage levels.

“This short-term race to the bottom will not develop the UK’s manufacturing base or create the skills and innovation our economy needs to rise to the global challenges of the 21st century.

“The Tories have us on the road to a low skilled, low waged economy where the proceeds of growth are shared among the few at the top.

“The success of the UK’s automotive industry and companies like Jaguar Land Rover is because they have looked to the long-term, invested in skills and worked with Unite to boost productivity and create secure well paid jobs.

“That is why Ed Miliband is right to commit to an industrial strategy that invests in apprenticeships and skills, which looks to the long-term to generate the high skilled secure jobs our nation needs and ensures that we have an economy that works for the many not the few.”

ENDS

For further information please contact the Unite press office on 020 3371 2065 or Unite head of media and campaigns Alex Flynn on 020 3371 2066 or 07967 665869.

Notes to editors:

Unite is Britain and Ireland’s largest trade union with over 1.4 million members working across all sectors of the economy. The general secretary is Len McCluskey